Yemen
Human Rights Watch has reported significant human rights abuses in Yemen during 2025, highlighting arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances carried out by various authorities, including the Houthis, the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), and the internationally recognized government. These actions have targeted journalists, human rights defenders, and humanitarian workers, exacerbating the country's humanitarian crisis.
By the end of 2025, the Houthis were arbitrarily detaining 69 United Nations staff and dozens of civil society staff. The STC and the Yemeni government have also been implicated in similar abuses within their respective areas of control. Additionally, the United States and Israel conducted attacks that resulted in civilian casualties and the destruction of critical infrastructure in Yemen.
These violations have further deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Yemen, where over 18 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity. The targeting of activists, journalists, and aid workers undermines efforts to address the dire needs of the population and hampers the delivery of essential services.
Human Rights Watch calls on all warring parties to cease arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances, release those unjustly detained, and fulfill their obligations to protect human rights and address the humanitarian needs of the Yemeni people.
